If you’ve already read our things to do in Malapascua article, you’re probably convinced to include this Filipino paradise in your Philippines itinerary. To make it easy for you to reach this beautiful island, we’ve prepared the information you need to know how to get to Malapascua in the most comfortable way, with different options for all budgets and needs.
Where is Malapascua
Malapascua is a tiny tear (of happiness) located north of Cebu, in the Visayas region. Separated from its big sister by a 6,8‑kilometer strait, the port from which boats depart is called Maya.
In Malapascua you’ll find a pier on Logon Beach (commonly called Barrio), but bangkas also sometimes land at Bounty.
The nearest airport is Cebu City’s, which receives domestic and international flights. Between Cebu City and Maya there are approximately 130 kilometers.
How to get to Malapascua from Cebu
Most likely, to reach Malapascua you’ll first head to Cebu City, either arriving by flight from another part of the country or by boat from nearby islands such as Bohol or Siquijor. Once in the city, there are different ways to reach your destination, each with a different cost and duration.
You can start by searching for flights to Cebu here.
1) How to get to Malapascua cheaply
The cheapest way to get to Malapascua is by taking the public bus from the Cebu North Bus Station (note that since 2023 it is this one, next to the SM mall). The ride there by taxi or Grab car from the airport costs approximately 300 pesos and takes half an hour, although it depends a lot on traffic. You’ll take a little less if you arrived at the Cebu port from Bohol, for example.
VxF tip: upon arriving at the airport or port, you can ask if the shuttle buses to this terminal are still running; it costs 50 pesos, so you’ll save a few pesos.
Once at the Cebu North Bus Terminal you’ll have two means of transport at your disposal: the public bus and the van to get to the port of Maya, from where boats depart for Malapascua. Whichever you choose, you won’t have trouble finding them, as different people will approach you when you arrive to ask where you’re going. The bus without air‑conditioning costs around 250 pesos, the one with air around 320, and the private van costs 350 pesos. Each has its pros and cons.
The van, going directly to Maya port, is much faster and can take 4 hours provided traffic allows (sometimes even less). The public bus, on the other hand, picks up and drops off people along the entire route, so your journey could stretch to more than 6 hours. Some people consider the bus a more comfortable option because if it’s not full you may have more space, but from our experience we usually recommend opting for the van. If both means of transport are full, the bus can be just as suffocating.
Taking the non‑air‑conditioned bus to get to Malapascua from Cebu does not represent a big saving. The price of this trip is 250 pesos.
Keep in mind that the earlier you leave the better; if you can, around 6:00 would be ideal. By about 8 in the morning there is usually heavy outbound traffic from Cebu, which lengthens the trip. As for the bus schedule to Maya: they run 24 hours a day, although they are more frequent from 5:00 to 22:00, operating roughly every 30 minutes.
If you can, take those from the company Ceres Liner (they’re usually yellow), as they’re more comfortable.
2) How to get to Malapascua by private transport
If you want to reach Malapascua more comfortably using private transport, you can hire a taxi. Your bargaining skills will largely come into play here. Although it used to be cheaper, with rising fuel prices it’s now difficult for prices to go below 3,000–3,500 pesos (if you’re a good negotiator or with our contact, it can be arranged for 2,500). If there are more than 4 of you, you can also negotiate a van for 4,000–5,000 pesos. Likewise, many of the hotels where to stay in Malapascua also offer a transfer service to the island, although it’s normal for them to charge even more.
Leave us a comment if you’d like a taxi contact to go from Cebu to Maya.
If you want, you can also pre‑book a taxi or van here.
Bangka from Maya port to Malapascua
The overland trip from Cebu or Bantayan (as you’ll see below) will take you to Maya port, where you must take the boat that will finally drop you in Malapascua. The price per person is 200 pesos. The sea crossing from Maya to Malapascua takes approximately 45 minutes. In addition, you’ll have to pay 140 pesos per person for the environmental fee.
If once at Maya port you want to reach Malapascua as soon as possible and don’t want to wait for the next departure, you can hire one privately for 2,000 pesos. This is called a “special trip”. This is happening very frequently and they try to make you pay for a private boat no matter what. Be patient; they end up departing as more people arrive.
Tickets for these boats cannot be booked online in advance, but don’t worry because you will always find a spot.
Bear in mind that the public boat schedule from Maya to Malapascua is roughly from 7:00 to 17:30. If you arrive outside these hours, in theory sailing is not allowed beyond 17:40. As for accommodation, there isn’t much on offer, but Suba Beach Nipa Huts is inexpensive and there’s nothing like waking up in huts with sea views. Arriyus Apartelle is a new and comfortable contender.
The fact that it’s not allowed doesn’t mean these boats don’t often end up departing… That said, it’s likely you’ll have to pay the 2,000 pesos for the entire boat and a bit more for being outside operating hours. If you think you’ll arrive late and don’t mind paying more, many hotels arrange the transfer to Malapascua even at night.
Heads up, for several years there have been two ports in Maya: the new one and the old one. Currently, most boats depart from Maya’s New Ferry Terminal.
Most boats dock in Logon (Barrio), where they’ve built a pier and, therefore, disembarkation is comfortable.
How to get from Bantayan to Malapascua
There’s also the possibility that you want to go to Malapascua from Batanyan Island. In this case you also have three options: the cheap and slow ones (one more than the other) or the fast and less economical one.
How to get from Bantayan to Malapascua fast
If you want to save time and get to Malapascua as soon as possible, don’t hesitate—hire a private boat. You can easily do this by going to the port or asking at your hotel or resort. The price is around 3,000 pesos, which makes it a very good option if you’re traveling as a group since you pay for the boat and not per passenger.
The duration of the trip is usually between 2 and 3 hours, but in rough seas it can be longer and become dangerous. In that case we recommend not risking it and opting for the slow and cheap option.
Leave us a comment on this article and we’ll be happy to give you the information to go from Bantayan to Malapascua by boat.
How to get from Bantayan to Malapascua cheaply
If you’re considering going to Malapascua from Bantayan, there are two ways to do it.
1) Via Medellín
There are boats from Santa Fe on Bantayan to the Alpine Port in Medellin (Kawit). There’s a company called Aznar Shipping that runs this route every day at 8:30, 12:30 and 16:30. In the opposite direction, from Kawit to Santa Fe, at 6:30, 10:30 and 14:30.
The ticket costs 250 pesos and the trip takes roughly 75 minutes. Schedules can be checked and tickets booked from this link. After that, take a tricycle to Daanbantayan (around 60 pesos) and wait for any bus heading towards Maya (20 pesos). According to a traveler, if all the transfers line up well, you can take less than 2,5 hours to do this entire route.
2) Via Hagnaya
If the schedules of the previous boats don’t suit you or perhaps the boats aren’t running due to heavy waves and you want to save money to get to Malapascua, you can opt for the following route:
- Take a ferry from Bantayan to the port of Hagnaya. The duration of this first leg is about 75 minutes and you’ll need to pay 240–350 pesos for the ferry (depending on the company) + 10 pesos in port fees.
- Once there, take a tricycle to the junction with the road to Maya (Don Pedro). The distance between the two points is less than 6 kilometers, so it’s normal to pay around 70 pesos for the whole tricycle.
- When you get there, take a bus heading north to the port of Maya. The bus price is approximately 75 pesos, although it depends on the type of bus.
- Take the boat from Maya to Malapascua, which is 200 pesos.
By traveling this way you can go from Bantayan to Malapascua for about 700 pesos per person. As you can see, the previous option is somewhat cheaper and faster.
How to get from Leyte to Malapascua
If you’re on the island of Leyte because you might have gone to visit the Four Islands or to swim with the whale shark in Pintuyan or Padre Burgos, you can also reach Malapascua without going through Cebu. We’re not saying it won’t be long or easy, but it’s possible.
Be patient with transport in Leyte. It’s a very non‑touristy island and places are not very well connected.
There are basically 3 ways: via Kalanggaman, via the port of Bogo or via the port of Cebu. We believe the first is more suitable because Kalanggaman is a beautiful island and you’ll likely want to visit it while in Malapascua, so you make the most of it. Even so, we’ll tell you the options and you can decide.
1) How to get from Padre Burgos to Malapascua via Kalanggaman
If you’re in Padre Burgos, a great spot for whale‑shark watching and diving, to get to Malapascua you can follow these steps:
- Take a bus to Maasin. Don’t expect to see a bus stop—you have to wait on the road and flag it down as it passes. They take about 30–40 minutes and cost 50–60 pesos depending on the type of bus. They usually start passing around 6:00.
- Take another bus to Ormoc. It will take about 4 hours and the ticket is around 150 pesos.
- As in the previous case, take a van or a bus to Palompon. You know vans can be the devil’s work, but they’re much faster as they don’t make stops. It costs 150 pesos and takes about 90 minutes. The bus, on the other hand, although it costs half, can take up to 3 hours.
- Take a boat to Kalanggaman at the Palompon tourism office. These depart in the morning, as they go for the day tour and then return. It’s common for this to start around 6:00. We recommend going early to find a group to share with, as they will charge you 4,500 pesos (for the one with capacity for up to 20 people). Try to negotiate by saying you’re only doing the one‑way journey and see how it goes. Since you’re going to pass through Kalanggaman, you’ll have to pay the environmental fee of 1,000 pesos per person. At this point, you can stay overnight in Kalanggaman (the fee rises to 1,500 in this case) or go to Malapascua the same day. You have all the information in our article about Kalanggaman.
- Take a boat from Kalanggaman to Malapascua. As in the previous case, these are not “scheduled” boats, but rather the ones that come from Malapascua to spend the day. They usually return to Malapascua around 14:30–15:00. Keep in mind that people pay 1,300–1,500 pesos for this round trip, so you can get an idea of what you might pay.
How to get from Pintuyan to Malapascua via Kalanggaman
If you’ve come to see the beautiful whale shark in this corner, you’ll surely want to know how to get from Pintuyan to Malapascua. As in the previous case, it’s not easy, but it’s doable. Follow these steps:
- Take a bus or van to Sogod. Simply leave the town and wait for one to pass. Vans usually charge 150 pesos and the bus 80 pesos. The journey takes between 1 and 2 hours. Note: you can skip this step if, by chance, you see that the bus is heading to Ormoc (it usually costs about 200 pesos and takes 5 hours).
- Take another bus to Ormoc. It will take about 4 hours and the ticket is around 180 pesos.
- Take a van or a bus to Palompon. We recommend the van.
- Take a boat to Kalanggaman and from there to Malapascua. It’s explained in the previous section.
Due to the schedules, it’s very likely you’ll have to stay overnight in Palompon or Ormoc—keep that in mind.
How to get from Hilongos to Malapascua
If you’ve stayed in Hilongos or Inopacan to visit the Four Islands, you can get to Malapascua by taking any of the buses that pass along the main road towards Ormoc. The journey is about 3 hours. Then follow the steps from Ormoc that we mentioned above.
2) How to get from Leyte to Malapascua via Bogo
If, for whatever reason, you don’t want to go via Kalanggaman, the other option is to use the port of Bogo (Polambato), which is a city near the port of Maya, from where boats depart to Malapascua. In this case, it would go something like this:
- Depending on where you are in Leyte (Pintuyan, Padre Burgos, Hilongos…), you’ll need to take transport to the port of Palompon. You have the options explained in the sections just above.
- Take a boat to Polambato from Palompon: Aznar Shipping departs at 6:30 and 15:30 (in the opposite direction at 11:30 and 23:00). The journey takes 3 hours and costs about 300 pesos.
- Take a tricycle from the port to the main road: you can do it shared, which won’t cost you more than 20 pesos per person, or pay for a whole one. It cost us 100 pesos.
- Wait for any bus heading towards Maya: it will take about 45 minutes and they’ll charge you barely 50 pesos (depending on the type of bus).
- Take a bangka from Maya to Malapascua: they cost 200 pesos (plus 140 pesos in fees). The trip takes approximately 45 minutes. Keep in mind they run until 17:30.
How to get to Malapascua from the Camotes Islands
Although it’s not a destination that’s very trendy yet, if you’re taking a slow trip through the Philippines and looking for relaxed destinations, we recommend taking a look at our article Things to do in Camotes to see what this group of islands near Cebu offers.
It combines very well with Malapascua or Bantayan because the boats that depart from Camotes arrive at Danao, which is on the way along the route that connects Cebu with Maya or Hagnaya, from where boats leave for Malapascua and Bantayan, respectively.
In short, you would need to follow these steps:
- Take a boat from the port of Consuelo to Danao: the shipping company Jomalia Shipping operates here daily roughly between 6:00 and 17:30 with ro‑ro ferries and fastcrafts (fast boats). The journey takes between 1,5 and 2,5 hours and costs between 300 and 650 pesos, depending on the boat. Schedules can be checked and tickets booked at this link.
- In Danao you can wait for any bus heading towards Maya. The journey takes about 2,5 hours. It’s normal for them to charge you around 200 pesos, although it will depend on the type of bus.
- In Maya take any bangka going to Malapascua (200 pesos + 140 pesos in fees). The trip takes around 45 minutes.
For more information about the route to the first island, take a look at How to get to Camotes.
How to get to Malapascua from other parts of the Philippines
As we mentioned, Cebu has to be your base to go to Malapascua. Therefore, you can read our article on How to get to Cebu and from there follow the steps we’ve given you above to get to Malapascua.
On the other hand, we’ve created several guides from specific destinations. For example:
- How to get from Siargao to Malapascua and vice versa
- How to get from Malapascua to Bohol and vice versa
- How to get from Siquijor to Malapascua and vice versa
- How to get from Camiguin to Malapascua and vice versa
Malapascua Guide
You’ll find much more information in our Malapascua Guide: what to do, where to stay, where to eat and other useful information.
Need any extra info? Ask us in the comments and we’ll be happy to help.
